Our Local and International Centers

Where We Are

Trinidad & Tobago

Location

The flag of Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago nestles close to South America. At its closest point, Trinidad is some seven miles from the coast of Venezuela on the South American mainland. 21 miles (33Km) separates Trinidad from its twin island, Tobago. The two islands are spanned daily by plane and ferry. Trinidad comprises of 1,864 Sq. miles and Tobago 116 sq. miles. The population of Trinidad and Tobago is approximately 1.3 million (including 45,000 in Tobago).

Trinidad is diverse geographically. It has three mountain ranges, roughly parallel to each other, running east to west in the north, central, and south parts of the island. The mountainous north coast is heavily wooded.

Main Cities

Port of Spain is the Capital city. The East-West corridor is an urban-industrial conurbation from Port of Spain. San Fernando in the south is Trinidad’s second city and an industrial capital. The Point Lisas industrial park is nearby. Scarborough is the capital of Tobago. The Blue Star Centre is located in Claxton Bay which is a 50 minutes drive from the airport.

Language

English is the official language. A dialect is a variation of the English language spoken from time to time, also called Trini.

Brief History

Trinidad was named by Christopher Columbus on his third voyage to the New World. On the morning of 31 July 1498, he saw what appeared to him as a trinity of hills along the southeastern coast. The island was called Iere, meaning “the land of the hummingbird,” by its native Amerindian inhabitants. Tobago’s name probably derived from tabaco (tobacco in Spanish). The occupancy of Tobago changed regularly between the Brits, French, Dutch and Courlanders, but ended up in British hands. Trinidad remaind Spanish, but many French colonists setteld there.

After African slavery was abolished in 1833, East Indian indentured labourers were brought to Trinidad, predominantly from India. Thus modern Trinidad today is influenced by the African / Indian cultures and to a smaller extent from the Chinese, Lebanonese, European and Amerindian cultures to create a unique blend of a rainbow people and culture. In 1889, the two islands became a single crown colony. They became independent from the British Empire in 1962 and became a republic in 1976.

Religions

Christianity, Hinduism and Islam, are the predominant religions practiced in Trinidad with churches, temples and mosques found in all parts of the two Islands.

Symbolism

The public symbols of the nation tend to evoke the themes of multi-culturalism, unity in diversity, and tolerance. The national motto is “Together we aspire, together we achieve.” The national anthem features the line “Here every creed and race find an equal place,” which is sung twice for emphasis. Some public holidays and celebrations emphasize group contributions to the nation, including Independence Day (31 August), Emancipation Day (1 August; commemorating the ending of slavery), and Indian Arrival Day (30 May).

Our Blue Star headquarters are based in Union Village, Claxton Bay, Trinidad & Tobago. We also have a number of local centers in Trinidad that guide programs, and many Blue Star Centers have been established across the world, as more and more people are drawn to the ideals of holistic living and self transformation. Sri Vasudeva travels for example to Holland, Romania, Hungary, London, New York and Toronto on a yearly basis giving workshops and retreats, and also providing support to the international centers, while giving new members a chance to meet him.

Below you will find the contact information and websites (where available) of all the centers. If you would like to visit one of our centers or meet members for programs, retreats, or workshops, please fill in the contact form at the bottom of this page.

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Dress Code

We would like everyone to have the most comfortable and productive visit ever to the Blue Star Centre. Proper dress is an important part of this wish for you. As we are in a tropical environment, loose clothing, especially of cotton and linen, will be the coolest. Do keep in mind we are in a spiritual environment, so we ask you to wear modest clothing that is loose and covers the shoulders and knees.
We understand there are cultural differences in manners of dress, so please contact us for specifics so that you may pack accordingly. It is our pleasure to serve you.

Information on Payment Options

Below you will find information on the different payment options we currently offer on our site using credit card payment through Stripe or PayPal. Please read the section that is relevant to your situation.

Please note that payments on our website for Blue Star Trinidad & Tobago are going through our Blue Star Canada account, so if you are using PayPal you will see Blue Star Canada on the payment page.

Please select the option “Creditcard Payment through Stripe” and you can directly fill in your credit card number, the expiry date (MM/YY) and the CVC code that you can find on the back of your card.
Even though you can also use your credit card via PayPal, we prefer it if you use Stripe as this has lower transaction fees for us.

You need to create a PayPal account in order to purchase or donate anything through our website. Unfortunately we are experiencing a bug that even when you click on Create New account while paying through our website and PayPal, you still get a form where you need to fill in your creditcard. However, you do not need to have a creditcard in order to make a PayPal account, because you can couple your PayPal account to your local bank account. We ask you to:

Use either this link, or use Google to search for ‘Create PayPal account’ in your local language and set up an account directly from the PayPal website in your language. You need to fill in your bank information and a credit card is not necessary.

Then login to this PayPal account while you are making the payment on our website.